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Larsen & Toubro will train diploma and degree holders to become professionals in rail construction.
Students need not pay anything to learn. Instead, the company will pay a monthly stipend and even provide them jobs in various rail construction projects sites, including new line and electrification.
While business for the company from rail construction is growing fast, there is a lack of qualified professionals, Mr K.V. Rangaswami, Advisor to the Chairman, L&T, said.
Through the newly inaugurated Competency Development Centre in Kanchipuram, 75 km west off Chennai, L&T hopes to provide onsite training to nearly 300 technicians and 180 middle level managers/engineers every year, he told newspersons at the centre.
Mr A.P. Mishra, Member, Engineering, Railway Board, inaugurated the facility, which is India's first rail construction training centre. The company has created replicas of railway station, electrical line and signal systems to provide an integrated approach on construction of composite railway projects.
The facility will augment the competency of construction workforce in rail construction jobs and develop a talent pool of skilled workmen capable of delivering global standards in rail construction. L&T employs nearly 3,000 workers in various rail construction works across the country. In the last six years, it has done rail construction projects worth Rs 2,000 crore and has another Rs 1,700 crore in hand, he said. This does not include the Hyderabad Metro, he said.
According to Mr Mishra, the Indian Railways' network is over 64,400 km. Every year, 2,500 km of new rail line should be added to meet the future growth. However, due to shortage of funds with the ministry, the target could not be achieved in the last couple of years. Every year only 700 km of new line was added to the network, he said.
The Railways need a large skilled workforce to meet the target. Training centres such as L&T's can play a vital role in meeting the requirement with more private players engaged in rail construction, he said.
The centre offers a two-level training module. A specialised 90-day course for technicians will cover specific trades in rail construction.
A basic, three-week course will be offered for middle level managers and engineers to give an overall exposure on rail construction. After training, employment opportunities are provided at the company's project sites, Mr Rangaswamy said.
raja@thehindu.co.in
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